Overexpression of OsDUF6 increases salt stress tolerance in rice

Soil salinity is one of the primary environmental stresses faced in rice production. When plants are exposed to salt stress, a series of cellular balances will be disrupted. Dufulin is an immune-induced antiviral agent used in plants. The DUF gene family influences plant response to abiotic stress, and the functional role of OsDUF6(ABA98726.1) in rice response to salt stress is being investigated here.

Based on the transcriptome analysis of Dufulin treatment in inducing salt tolerance in rice, we selected the OsDUF6 protein located on the cell membrane and studied its molecular function by overexpressing OsDUF6. Salt-induced decreases in root, stem, and leaf length and increased leaf yellowing rate and Na⁺ concentration in the wild-type plant were mitigated in the overexpressed lines. OsDUF6 overexpression increased the enzymatic antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. OsDUF6 also played a positive role in Na⁺ transport as reflected by the increased growth of a salt-sensitive yeast mutant complemented with OsDUF6 in the presence of salt stress. In addition, Reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis confirmed that the overexpression of OsDUF6 significantly changed the expression level of other genes related to growth and stress tolerance.

Combined with previously published data, our results supported the observation that OsDUF6 is an important functional factor in Dufulin-induced promotion of salt stress tolerance in rice.